Yeah with the 399 version you get the 20GB HD, wireless controller & wires for hookin' to a HD TV. The 299 doesn't have any of that & it fuckin' sucks b/c you need to drop 40 for a mem card then. I don't see myself buyin' one of these. Gonna have to drop like $600 just to get it hooked up enuff with one game. I got better things to do with $600 then buy video games. That's for sure.

Early adopters looking to snag an Xbox 360 with all the bells and whistles will find themselves paying for the most expensive home video game console in a decade.

At the German Games Convention in Leipzig on Wednesday (August 17), Microsoft

announced that a 360 packaged with a wireless controller, 20 GB hard drive, headset and cable for hooking up to high-definition TVs will retail in the U.S. for $399.99. No new game system has sold for that price since the launch of the Sega Saturn in 1995.

A cheaper version without the above features and packaged with a wired controller will also be available at launch and retail at $299.99. Referred to by Microsoft as the "Xbox 360 Core System," the cheaper version's price matches the launch price of the original Xbox and PlayStation 2.

Both versions of Xbox 360 will include a silver membership to Microsoft's Xbox Live online service. The silver membership will allow users to access other online players' profiles, to chat and send voice and text messages to those users, and to download demos and trailers. The gold membership allows users to play against each other online.

A Microsoft spokesperson said the 360 requires a hard drive to play original Xbox games, meaning consumers will have to purchase the $399 version, which includes the drive, or buy a separate hard drive.

Additional wireless controllers for the system will cost about $50 each. A 64 MB memory card, which can be used to save games for those who don't buy the hard drive, will cost about $40. Other accessories include rechargeable controller batteries and stylized Xbox 360 faceplates that can be latched on to the front of the console to customize the machine's look.

Microsoft executives were bullish about the functionality offered with the new machine. "While the system has the muscle to power awe-inspiring graphics, audio and online play, it's also got the intelligence to serve as a one-of-a-kind entertainment device that plays CDs, DVDs, MP3s and digital content from an array of devices, including portable music players and digital cameras," Chief Xbox Officer Robbie Bach said in a statement.

Earlier this month Microsoft demonstrated some of these capabilities to the press by showing that the 360 can show playlists and channel music from any USB-connected device that plays MP3s, including i³³³³ and PlayStation Portables. The console itself was unveiled in May during an MTV special hosted by Elijah Wood (see "Omarion, Lil Jon, Killers Toast New Xbox At Hollywood Party").

Industry sources said Microsoft is planning to launch the 360 in stores sometime between November 8 and 24, but an Xbox representative would only confirm that the system will be available in North America, Europe and Japan this Christmas season.

The company has also not announced which games will arrive with the system at launch, though dozens, including "Project Gotham Racing 3," "Perfect Dark Zero" and "Kameo: Elements of Power," are currently in development. A Microsoft spokesperson said 25 to 40 Xbox 360 games will be in stores before year's end.

Microsoft wasn't alone in announcing the cost of new holiday gaming hardware on Wednesday. In a press release issued at 5 a.m., Nintendo tagged its new, shrunken edition of the Game Boy Advance — called the Game Boy Micro — at $99.99. The system will cost $20 more than the clamshell GBA SP, will play all GBA games and is roughly the size of an iPod Mini, measuring 2" by 4" by .7" and weighing 2.8 ounces, according to Nintendo.

With pricing laid out for American gamers, questions will now turn to software. While no game makers have announced price increases for this holiday season, analysts have predicted since the beginning of the year that console game prices, which typically range from $40-$50 for new titles, will see a $10 increase as the next generation of hardware is released.

i wonder what the xbox live silver membership is. i prolly won't get a 360 til next year anyways. i might not even get an xbox 360 if i can't use xbox live membership i already got because it's paid off until july 06 i believe.

Man fuck'd that, I guess I'ma wait too, because these video game console costing that much is ridiculous. Shit my rent don't even cost that much and it has more purpose than that, wtf? I'm not adding in no extra hours for no video games.